Desde la bahia

Latin Beat Magazine, Sept, 1997 by Jesse Varela

¡Que Calor! It's been an incredible summer of music so far with very special performances and first time visits. Of special interest are the Cuban bands that have passed through. The most anticipated, the appearances of Los Van Van, NG La Banda, Roy Hargrove's Crisol, and Jesus Alemañy & Cubanismo have been an enjoyable and enriching experience. The events have been largely sponsored by the Latino Entertainment Partners, developing a production style that's personable, sincere, and honest. This month we bring you impressions of gigs that have graced the Bay Area this summer -"el verano Cubano!"

Jesus Alemañy & Cubanismo (May 10)

This gig was a blast! Alemañy's charm and charisma made it a big party as he led the all-star cast of Cuban musicians through a potent book of charts. From modernized son montuno, pilon, and blistering descargas, it was cheerful and upbeat. Playing selections from their two releases on Ryko/Hannibal, ¡Cubanismo! and their latest Malambe, they stormed through a ninety minute set with a swinging joy that was insatiable from beginning to end.

A talented instrumentalist and bandleader, Alemañy leads the large combo like a big band. Guiding the sections through ensemble passages and giving the cast plenty of solo space, expressionists like Yosvany Terry (reeds) and Orlando "Maraca" Valle (flute), are a fountain of exciting ideas.

"Rojitas" (Jorge Luis Rojas) was exciting on lead vocals, jumping up and down and wowing the crowd with improvised vocal inspiraciones that switched between English and Spanish. When trecero Francisco Amat was featured, and Jesus crooned his sweet honey-dripped trumpet, there were moments that suggested Sierra Maestra, the group Alemañy performed with while in Cuba. Alfredo Rodríguez was a pleasure to listen to with a menacing montuno and a select harmonic palate. His solos were gems of tension and release that in the midst of a wave of percussion were still cognizant of every rhythmic space and syncopated off beats.

It was a night to see and be seen. Greats like baseball giant Orlando Cepeda were in the house, but when Armando Peraza showed up you knew it was going to be special. Toward the end of the second set, Peraza was called on stage and an emotional reunion took place between him and Tata Güines who hadn't seen each other in 35 years. With hearty applause they sat down to wail, recalling their years as boyhood friends playing together in Cuba. Playing to a memory when they had boundless energy, these septuagenarians were amazing as they looked each other in the eye, trading licks as if saying 'let me show something else I learned over the years.'

After an explosive standing ovation I followed Peraza down to the dressing room. Grinning from ear-to-ear he turned to me smiling and said, "Esa gente toca con cojones!" and laughed. Definitely one of the best of the year!

Roy Hargrove & Crisol (June 14)

With superb world class musicianship, Roy Hargrove and Crisol dazzled the Great American Music Hall in the City with selections from his recent Verve release Habana. A unique mix of American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban musicians, they had most of the cats on the date with the exception of "Changuito" (who missed his flight), Horacio "Negro" Hernández (on tour with Santana), and Gray Bartz. But the talented Julio Barretto filled in nicely on traps with Orestes Vilató bubbling on timbales alongside Miguel "Angá" Díaz on congas.

The opener --My Seh Yeh-- is an African greeting that inspired trombonist Frank Lacy to write this meditative piece. With a bit of drama, each musician walked on stage one by one to the clave of Barretto's bass drum. When they all gathered with an air of almost prayer-like reverence, modal tones floated from the horns over the riffs of guitarists Ed Cherry and Russell Malone. Chucho Valdés sat like an elder guru dropping harmonic clusters to color the dreamy improvisations. The ensemble was in sync all night, but when they took their solos you quickly realized the level of virtuosity present.

The Kenny Dorham classic, Una más, was a show stopper with Hargrove blowing hard over a funky Latin beat. Pinching those notes with his eyes closed, his body withered an internal dance that caused you to feel the nuance of his concentration. Russell Malone, a very underrated talent, was superb with a bluesy edge a la Grant Green on guitar. But it was the drummers --Vilató, "Angá," and Barretto-- who when given the opportunity, took it to the limit with intricate percussive fills. They swung like crazy, turning the flame up a few notches on Mambo For Roy.

What a great all-star cast. Chucho Valdés looked happy on piano and seemed to enjoy his role as a sideman. It was a landmark performance for a talent that is unquestionably one of the leading jazz horn men of his generation. Hargrove has struck gold with this project.

Juan Formell y Los Van Van (June 22)

They performed -gratis- before an estimated 15,000 people at the shady Stern Grove Meadow in San Francisco. A sunny radiant day, the crowd was immediately electrified with Ya empezó la fiesta. Suave steps and the potent vocals of singers -Pedro Calvo, Ramon Hernández and Mario Rivera "Mayito"- quickly engaged the people. Formell, who was not feeling well, ran the group through a fast-paced hour-plus set that included a medley of their greatest hits and two new selections from their upcoming album, Van Van te pone la cabeza mala! (their first scheduled release for EMI).